The Light that Pierces Through
by FlameofSwords
Summary: [Post Dark Signers/ep13 and onward] When Kiryu died as a Dark Signer, he was hoping he stayed like that. He wasn't expecting to be assigned a task that meant he was alive. Nor was he expecting to get a task that got him involved in the lives of twelve year olds who seem to be doing exactly what Yuusei did.
1. Chapter 1

**For the Crossover Competition! And no, there isn't going to be any romance in this, because that would be weird. After all, Kiryu is about 18/19...yeah. Either way, enjoy!**

* * *

Kiryu wasn't expecting there to be darkness yet again. Especially since he was supposed to be _alive_.

Then again, he didn't want to live. He dishonored everything...the way of the duel, his friends...living was practically a crime and he didn't want to commit any more crimes.

So perhaps he didn't get reborn like he assumed the others did. That was good. Unless it was the same as the Dark Signers...dead but alive in some weird way that science would just call bull on.

And Kiryu didn't want that. Because that was terrible... _he_ was terrible then. Everything was destroyed when that happened.

Then again, there was darkness in his heart when that happened. That's what made him a Dark Signer…

And yet, it's still there…

Kiryu shook his head. This wasn't going to get him anywhere. It was just going to amplify what little darkness he had in his heart and that'll spiral out of control. And then Yuusei might have to deal with it...no, he _will_ have to deal with it because he's his friend and Yuusei would _never_ leave a friend to their own, unsolvable troubles. And then that would just evolve into a mess on top of his nice quiet vacation. Or mess on top of another mess…

Either way, Kiryu forced himself to take a step. Two steps. Three steps. Walk until he found something that could notify him if he was alive. Or dead. Or stuck between dead and alive because of the complications of his case.

-0-0-0-

He didn't exactly make it in time to see exactly what the situations was, but he saw an angel. Next to her was a girl who was shorter than the angel.

The angel produced a bow without a stash of arrows and shot. Kiryu didn't understand this at all, mainly because there was nothing to shoot with, but the shot seemed effective. The extra dark monsters scurried into a gray ocean as a light brighter than anything here hit the surrounding ground, and the angel stayed there - her pink ribbons looking out of place in the once again bleak setting.

And so did the girl. She was wearing pink as well. Pink and white, which made her stand out. And plus, she looked happy. at least, what Kiryu could gather from looking at her side.

He came to a conclusion. This was not Hell.

Perhaps it was just the waiting room to see whether or not you were deserving to go to Hell or not. Maybe it was your best card that lead you to Heaven while your worst card lead you to Hell.

But that didn't explain why the angel was shooting at creatures...why the girl looked happy to defeat them. Was it a test to see how well you did? How nice you were? If the latter were the case, Kiryu was pretty sure the girl failed. Unless Heaven needed warriors…

But for what? Why? Was something like the Dark Signers happening again? Only with those truly dead? His stomach lurched. There was nothing more that he wanted than to be dead. And he wanted to be dead with nothing but peace. No war, no fights. Or at least, he didn't want to be a part of them.

He took a step closer. Curiousity was in every reason why he did it. First off, he never saw that card before, and while it probably wouldn't work with his Infernity deck, he kind of did want to know its effect. And second, he wanted to know if he was truly dead. If she was dead as well.

The girl then turned around and faced his direction. She locked onto his eyes. And he froze. What was the reason for it? Kiryu knew his reason for approaching her but he didn't know her reasons for looking at him like that. And Kiryu liked having a reason for why people approached them. It would've helped a lot when he died the first time.

She said something to the angel, something that Kiryu couldn't hear, and then took a step forward. Another step. And then she stopped. Kiryu knew why. Another kid appeared - did he die too? A shame; dying young isn't any fun.

Kiryu assumed he called her name - he still couldn't hear anything that was going on considering he was still far away - and she retreated to where the other kid was. But not before she took one last look at him.

 _They probably died together._ That didn't happen to him. He thought his best friend wanted him to rot in prison for life and therefore he was completely alone when he did just that. And of course it ended up being a lie...of course it did. He never got things right.

He shook away his thoughts. They were getting messy anyways.

He just walked, one step at a time. There was bound to be someone or some _thing_ \- he honestly didn't care if it was a pretty weak card - that could tell him what this place was. Because from the angel and the grey floor and ocean, he was only getting a this is the middle ground place. No one ever answered his question if he was alive or not. Nothing ever did.

The same creatures the girl with the angel hit were at his feet now, but Kiryu didn't mind them. He would've been happier if they had actually spoken, but they just moved in a path. And he followed. They seemed to know where they were going. He didn't.

They lead him through places he vaguely recognized. One looked like Satellite, one like the Detention Facility, another like the prison cell he spent his last few days in. Why, he was unsure, but he saw them...and the creatures at his feet didn't seem to notice.

A couple of more steps lead to a halt in the path they were walking in. Kiryu was surprised to see something like Jack's old hideout in this place - he was sure that it would be secured somehow, by someone else if he really didn't need it. But it was here...and nothing was coming.

Out from the run down theatre appeared a card Kiryu never seen before. Sure, it resembled a card he vaguely remembered seeing the in trash a lot (and stayed there - most Satellite natives couldn't even use it), but the design was all off from what little he remembered.

Either way, he could only describe the creature as ugly.

But it still approached him. It did so in that steady way Kiryu had when he first came here. But minus the uncertainty.

Its hand made its way to his heart. He froze. Was he going to die now? He had wanted to die and he was happy with the fact that it was going to happen now but...with a hand plunged into his heart? That meant he was alive. If he was alive, he much rather die by the way of the duel. Let what he had tarnished the most kill him. Let it take its revenge on him.

It plunged its hand into his heart. It went all the way through, not once stopping.

 _Well Yuusei, hopefully by some twist of fate we can see each other in Heaven._

But his mind didn't go blank. It still had thoughts running through, trying to get to the front of his mind. And they were different this time...this time being about Team Satisfaction. How they were always there for each other.

He wasn't dead.

So instead he looked up and saw the creature with a smile and the largest ball of shadows he had ever seen.

The creature once again plunged its hand into Kiryu's heart, this time the thoughts changing and death being the first thing on his mind.

 _Why didn't I die?_

But there was something in his head that he didn't know of before...a thought that he never even knew of. And honestly, he didn't know what it meant.

' _Get the girl with the Crest of Light.'_


	2. Chapter 2

Kiryu didn't understand what was the point of a girl with a simple crest, but he took the mission as his gateway ticket to hell. At least, that was what he hoped this mission would end up being. If it wasn't, well, he wasn't sure what he would do. Surely that creature, whatever it was, saw how much he wanted to die. He would grant that wish, right?

Either way, he wasn't going to know if he just stood there and wailed. That wouldn't do any good. And besides, he _never_ cried before, so why start now?

Doing his best to turn off his mind, Kiryu focused on his surroundings. He was pretty close to the ocean, and across that was a building that was a lot nicer than even the buildings of Satellite that had managed to stay intact. He actually imagined what kind of people lived there. Rich ones like those in Tops? Or just people who weren't criminals?

Probably the latter though. All the stories depicted Tops as a high class place and this building, while white, looked nothing of the sort.

After all, Kiryu didn't think that a boy dressed in something Crow would wear even step foot in a place like Tops.

But it was a person, and so Kiryu didn't pass up the opportunity to talk to him. Especially since he had absolutely no clue where he was and what he should be doing to complete that quest.

"Do you live here?" he asked the kid.

The kid laughed. His face turned a bright red in the process. "That's a good one. Me and school don't mix, that's for sure."

So this was a school? Did that mean the girl he had to find went to school here? Maybe, but that was a big building. In good shape too...he'll be lucky to find that girl that he saw earlier...if she was alive. Or maybe this was heaven? Kiryu didn't think he deserved to go to heaven, but at least if he was dead…

But was he dead? He honestly had no clue. Maybe that kid could tell him, but that kid had already made his way down the street and nearly out of Kiryu's sight. And wouldn't it be weird if he just happened to follow a kid around? In Satellite, that was fine. Security really didn't care about what you did there. If you were causing crimes there, so be it. They only cared if they were bored or if you caused an offense to them. It didn't matter what they had been doing before. And besides, you were always being watched in Satellite. So someone following you was just something you took as normal.

Yet, here? In this odd mix of the city and the possible but probably unlikely Heaven? That would definitely alert Security. Especially since that kid looked much younger than him. That would probably cause an unwanted mess to occur at some point. And Kiryu didn't want something like that.

So his best bet was to go inside of the school. But considering the steady stream of kids that exited out of the same door as that other kid, Kiryu assumed that it was empty now. Well, there was always tomorrow. Hopefully he could actually do something then.

But as for what to do now...well, he didn't have a bed and he was pretty sure he couldn't just waltz into a building like he could in Satellite, so there was a need to figure out where to stay. Turning around, he noticed a single bench overlooking the sea. It didn't seem to have the best shelter (who knows what could happen at night), but it was the best he could do. So he settled on sitting there until fatigue eventually took its toll.

* * *

The time the sun was slowly making its way to the top was when Kiryu woke up. It was the time he happened to wake up at when he was a resident of Satellite, and he was glad that being a Dark Signer didn't affect that at all. It would be a problem if he had waken up at the middle of the night - nothing would've happened then.

He also took the time he was resting to figure out something. He wasn't dead, but there was a possible chance that he wasn't alive and this just was a test to see where he ended up. Sure, he did some...questionable things throughout his life, barely any of them with completely good intentions, but then again, this all started with a well-intentioned plan that should've been taken care of by Security, so there was a chance for him to even be considered on the pool of people going to Heaven. And that probably depended heavily on how well he did here. So he had to succeed here if he wanted to go to Heaven.

And while being dead was being dead, so technically it didn't matter where he ended up, he kind of didn't want to go to Hell. Hell was where he ended up as a Dark Signer, and while he was pretty sure Yuusei defeated them already, he didn't want to go through the torture he experienced as a Dark Signer again. That would very well be worse than living.

Either way, he had to focus on the situation at hand. One quick glance to the school and it seemed like no one was in it. Granted, the sun just rose and he assumed that no one in Neo Domino had the need to wake up at the crack of dawn, but he expected there to be at least some type of activity at this time. Then again, it was probably four or five in the morning. People who didn't have a reason to wake up early probably didn't.

Though he would've figured out at least how long he had to wait before someone came here if he had just asked that first kid or any of the other kids. They went here, so they were bound to have at least a general idea of when _someone_ came to the school, even if they had no idea. Because at least then he'd be able to at least attempt to spot the girl (if she went here) and complete the mission he had to do. But with him unable to know, his best bet was to wait for someone and ask if he could possibly go inside. They would understand if it was important, right?

Kiryu decided that he was at least going to check if the door was opened. So he got off the bench and took a short walk towards the school. His steps were quick but not rushed. Because there really was no point in running the entire way. The street was empty; void of everything but him. And to top that off, the street was short. Not something he needed to run in order to get there faster.

When he reached the end of the road, he noticed a black car out of the corner of his eye. Interested, he turned around. The wheels, Kiryu noticed, turned slower and slower with each moment, until the car finally stopped. The window rolled down, revealing a man who was older than Kiryu.

"Ah!" he said, surprised. His eyes rested to where Kiryu was, making his smile even brighter. "I got rather worried when you called saying you might not be able to make it, but you did!" Kiryu really didn't know what the man was talking about, but if it got him into the school…

"Hang on - let me park my car," the man said, still smiling. "Then I'll open the door and make some coffee for the both of us."

Kiryu watched as the car moved towards the back. He didn't follow, assuming this guy meant for him to stay there until he came back. Probably without a car. But he didn't mind. He was getting into the school after all - and that was what he wanted.

Five minutes later the man came back. He extended his hand, which Kiryu took. It was a greeting, and he should take it instead of leaving it like that. The man said a name that Kiryu would barely remember and then followed suit, giving out his full name.

"Oh, so the sub couldn't come then. Well, it was rather nice of him to send in someone else instead of making me go nuts."

Kiryu was completely unsure of what the man meant by practically everything he just said. The terms were all something that he never even thought of using in that way...and to be honest, it really did confused him. Schools taught people things, right? So why would they need a sub?

"Did he tell you watch subject you were covering for?" the man asked as they walked through the doors, snapping Kiryu out of his thoughts. So he was apparently teaching, and he wasn't exactly sure if that was something he was qualified to do.

Just to be safe though, Kiryu shook his head. And while doing so, he prayed it was something that he could handle. He only learned the basics in Satellite - everything else you either learned by yourself or just didn't know at all. And math just so happened to be one of those subjects were he had only learned the basics - what was necessary to play Duel Monsters. He doubt he could actually teach that.

"Gym."

That wasn't one of the subjects he heard of. A kid in Satellite had found out about school from some other guy, and they always were described as boring. They mentioned some of the things that you apparently learned, which, at the time, sounded like a bore to both him and everyone else with him. And while he remembered some subjects, gym was not one on the list of those he could recall.

They walked into a room that was marked differently from the rest (this one didn't has a combination of a number and letter) and it was there the man handed him a sheet. It was then Kiryu realized how much older this man was compared to him. But he mentally shoved that away. It wasn't important - the sheet was - and any observations like that could wait.

"Those are the classes you'll be teaching," the man said as Kiryu looked over the paper. "They're all nearly at the same place so you can do the same thing with each class. The breaks in schedule are your frees. You can get lunch then if you feel so inclined."

He kept on going on and Kiryu had to wonder if it really was complicated. He wouldn't have thought so just by looking at the paper - what he bothered to listen to what the man said was what he could already assume from the paper. Everything else sounded useless and just plain unnecessary. With the exception of he was supposed to be doing with the classes. Because it seemed like this subject wasn't a subject that the kid in Satellite had describe. It was a fun one; one that Kiryu was sure he could handle. Which made him smile. He was pretty sure he wasn't going to keep the title of teacher for long - probably not even an entire day - but at least he could try his best to have fun.

"Well, I guess you understand that now, right?" Kiryu nodded. "Well then, how do you like your coffee?"

"I don't drink coffee."

* * *

The morning went by as a blur. Numerous of adults walked into the room, each carrying plans and laughing about one thing or another. Some got coffee while others ignored its existence. Some people also busied themselves with whatever papers they had in their hand.

Throughout the whole thing, Kiryu wished that people would just ignore him. He knew that was hard for them to do - his hair color was the most unusual out of the bunch, it being easily identified as blue as opposed to the blueish-silver he knew it was - but he had just wished that they figured he was busy like some of the others. After all, he was staring at that schedule intensely - that should've notified someone he was busy. But it didn't, and it really interrupted his thoughts about figuring out whether or not that girl he had to find was in any of his classes. Mainly because he was sure he probably wasn't going to get the chance to do this tomorrow, assuming that by the end of it he was sure the person who mistook him for someone else would tell he was done. Or he'd just get fed up with the pre-class thing that he didn't even want to attempt this any more.

Class itself was rather interesting. Kiryu had managed to find himself a whistle which was what he used to rally the students up. And whenever he talked to them, he treated them like new recruits for Team Satisfaction. And while he was pretty sure he wasn't going to add anyone new to that team - Team Satisfaction was something he started with Jack, Crow, and Yuusei. And he was sure he wouldn't get the same level of satisfaction from these kids as he did from his three best friends, it at least enabled him to do his job. A job he kind of didn't want to do but had to anyways.

Of course, there happened to be this one class that had just affected him more than the other. For a start, it was the one class where he felt a headache when he got everyone in front of him. Kiryu didn't know why, but he assumed because at the front of it was a girl very similar to the girl he saw before in that greyish world. And when she was out of his sight, it calmed down, despite being extremely strong just moments before. He figured that ignoring he was good, but if she happened to be part of his mission, then he'd have to see her, right?

He could just pull her aside later. He only needed to meet her, right? Or did he actually have to bring her back? The latter might be a problem, but if he could stage it properly...

 _I'll just ask for her after class._

But when class was over, he didn't get that opportunity. She, along with two others (who he vaguely recognized) rushed towards the stairs.

Kiryu didn't know why they did it, but he needed the girl. And so he would follow her.


	3. Chapter 3

Kiryu had no clue what he would gain in chasing them - like he reasoned before, they could very well be going home. Which meant that following them could land him in prison once again, earning yet another painful security marker. Yet he felt like his mission was connected to the girl. If he managed to bring her to that thing that ask him to bring her, then maybe he'd get what he wanted.

And if that meant stalking kids, well, then he'd do it. Stalking people was nothing new. And plus, it wasn't like he was hurting them. That was something he wasn't going to do, no matter what the situation called for.

Luckily, they seemed to stay in the school. The gym wasn't on the level needed to exit the school, and so it was natural for people to take the stairs if they wanted to leave. And yet the three kids never left the stairs. They just kept on going up the stairs, not once deciding to enter the area held by the landing that lead to other rooms. And that worked out perfectly for Kiryu. If he happened to get caught then he could pass it off as "I'm trying to find a room to go to" as he was technically a teacher there, if only for a day. And that sounded nothing like stalking.

Plus, he kept his distance from them. Far enough not to be accused of stalking them, and yet close enough that their conversation was a little more than barely audible noises. Though he honestly had no clue what they were talking about. Because there was talk about a digital something and some kind of emperor. Kiryu summed it up to that being a book that they were reading, but one that wasn't so well received as words like bad and terrible were mentioned a lot. Though they stopped when they reached the top of the steps. Kiryu allowed himself to take two more steps in order to see what they were doing.

They were too far for him to hear if they continued their conversation, but that would've been pointless anyways. With the male (the one without the hat) in the lead, they made their way to the first door Kiryu's line of sight allowed him to see. They entered, leaving the door closed.

As quietly as he could, Kiryu sprinted up the rest of the steps. He wanted to hear if they were having another conversation. Mainly because then it would be easier for him to get the girl to where that thing lived. And yet he was having doubts about following them into the room. He had absolutely no clue as to what could be going on in that room, and truthfully, he didn't want to walk in blindly to it. From what little he saw, he was pretty sure there were no teachers, but that didn't explain what those kids could be doing.

And yet, he had a mission to be done. So as a little compensation for the fact that he didn't want to enter (fear decided that it wanted to stay in his mind), he quietly, yet quickly, made his way towards the door frame. One where he could guard the stairs if he knew he had to leave and still make out whatever they were saying inside the room.

There was yet another conversation. This time it didn't seem to be about a book, but more for waiting for the others.

"You know its common curtsy to wait for people, right?" one asked loud enough for him to hear. From what he could hear, Kiryu assumed it was one of the males that was with the girl.

 _So they're waiting for someone..._ Kiryu decided to focus one eye on the stairwell for just in case. If they were waiting for someone then they were most likely going to go up the stairs. And he didn't want to explain what he was doing in front of the door.

"I wish they'd just apply that same bit to us though."

Kiryu was sure that there was more to that line than what he heard, but another conversation - one he didn't have to strain to hear - cut into it. There was another party making its way to this floor, which meant that he was going to have to explain himself. That was only if he decided to stay there.

But he wasn't. Kiryu instead walked towards the stairwell once again, this time making it sound like he was actually there (which was much harder for him to do) instead of the quiet steps he frequently used.

By the time he made it to the start of the steps, the people he had heard were almost up there, two steps away from making it to the top. Neither of them saw him, but Kiryu made note of their appearance. One short, one a bit taller. The shorter one had brown hair while the other had a more purplish color.

With minimal effort, he made his way a quarter way down the stairs before deciding to look back at the door. The one with purplish hair had it open and kept it opened. The smaller one was already inside from what Kiryu could see, and they appeared to be in a conversation.

"This time we'll throw the emperor off his high throne!" someone yelled. Kiryu took another step to verify who it was. And yet it was no one in the room. He assumed it was the one holding the door then, as that made some sense.

 _The same emperor they were talking about before?_ It had to be, though what kind of book allowed you to play along? Unless they were like a mini Team Satisfaction...though, he saw nothing that needed to be fixed here at all. With a place similar to Satellite, he could understand, but here? There seemed to be no point.

The door closed. Kiryu hurriedly walked up the rest of the steps to get to the door. He wanted to see what they were doing...and he didn't think he'd be able to achieve that through closed doors. When he got to the door, he waited about four seconds before opening it a crack.

There was a pink-haired boy in the room, sitting by a computer. He wasn't doing anything but watching. As for the others that he knew were in there, Kiryu could only assume they did the same thing as the boy in front of the computer the other boy was watching - getting sucked in by the computer.

Kiryu opened the door. The pink-haired boy took notice and scrambled to get in front of the computer, pressing a couple of buttons. It did nothing to erase what Kiryu saw.

And personally, that had to be the weirdest thing he ever experienced. Yet, it didn't bother him. It just surprised him. Pretty faintly at that. Still, he wanted answers.

"What just happened?"


	4. Chapter 4

Kiryu found himself staring at the pink-haired boy who was obviously deprived of his chance to get sucked in as well. Which was fine by Kiryu – that meant he had someone to tell him things. If he decided to tell.

"I was just testing out this software I made. It's still pretty faulty though…" He mumbled the rest to himself, as if he expected Kiryu to know all of that. But still, he saw what he saw. And there was no way for him to accept that it was something else without proper explanation.

"Yet I saw a kid getting sucked into that."

"Someone getting sucked into the computer is virtually impossible. Your eyes must have been playing tricks on you."

Kiryu would agree with that if he could. Not that didn't believe his own sight, but so many things happened over the course of the last two days (or months if he really wanted to push it) that he could chalk it up to weird vision. Especially without any proof. But the problem was that kid. He was going out of his way to hide it, as if he knew that was something Kiryu shouldn't see or know. The kid scrambled to the same computer and was just watching them before. Of course he knew. And he won't let anyone else know.

But as for games filled with tricks and surprises, Kiryu was good at them. And so he was going to play along with this kid's terrible attempt at a lie. At least give him some hope that he successfully did his job.

"What's this program supposed to do then?" Kiryu asked. He didn't bother to change his tone – no matter what, he was still mildly annoyed and pretty tired. He was _not_ going to make himself sound sweeter for a kid who was lying to his face.

"Create a hologram version of someone," he said. Which meant that it was nothing new. Kiryu had seen holograms before – that was basically implemented in every duel he took part in. But this kid made it sound like it was something new. Was that technology something they didn't have? Probably. Well, he was going to have to play along.

"So you were just returning it back to the screen?"

The boy nodded. "It had some faulty programming so I have to fix it."

"Can I see it?" Kiryu had absolutely no clue what he was going to do with the programming when he got it. He had no clue how programming actually worked, but he assumed it would do him some good.

But a small smile found its way on his face instead.

Once Kiryu asked the innocent question the boy panicked. Attempting to form words happened to be one of them. The vowel 'I' could be heard until the kid decided to shut up and push random buttons. A little window that wasn't there before popped up, but that was all the button pressing did.

"I seem to have misplaced that program," he said, his voice still frantic. "I should have the full version on my laptop. I'll show it to you tomorrow if you really want to see it."

"I have no need to see it." The kid sighed. Kiryu assumed it was of relief, especially since it was short and not all that loud.

"Well then, do you need any help operating any of the computers here?" he asked, motioning to the rows of computers. Kiryu didn't notice that first – too busy trying to figure things out – but he really had no need for them either way.

"No. But how likely is it for someone to get sucked into a computer screen?"

The boy hesitated a bit. Kiryu didn't know why. It was a simple question, not at all proving anything the kid did as a lie.

"About as likely as someone coming back from the dead. Why?"

Kiryu smirked. Then it was possible and his eyes were definitely not playing tricks.

"No reason."

-0-0-0-

Kiryu had exited the school shortly afterwards. From what he was told as he went towards the door, he was going to be doing the exact same thing. Teach gym once again and attempt to stalk the girl once again. This time he actually had a lead, but he didn't know how he could actually follow up on that. He never learned how to get into the computer; just that those kids actually did go in there at times. So as for what he could do to follow her, his options where to either hack into the computer and figure it out or just continue to stalk her. Which was a problem. Kiryu didn't know exactly how long he could even stay in the school. He had luckily gotten an extra day, but that wasn't telling him much. Was that extra day his last day or did he have a little under a week to get it done? He hoped the latter, but there was no telling what could happen.

Though, attempting to use the same computer that kid used didn't seem like a bad idea. If the girl happened to visit whatever was in there, then he meet her in there and then take her to whoever he had to bring her to and be on his merry way to death.

And yet it involved breaking in. The thought of breaking into the school had crossed his mind before, but he didn't want to do it now. He could easily get into the school now, being a teacher and all that, so breaking in was something he didn't have to do. He could easily do it the next day and not run the risk of messing with the computer.

Yet, he kind of wanted the thing done now. He wanted to get in there and wait for the girl, not follow her and do whatever he could the chance he got it. That way he could figure out how to get her and bring her back. And see if his deck did anything.

 _I guess we're breaking and entering then._

But that principle was still in there. Which might be the biggest problem yet. Sure, he was nice enough, but would he really be fine with Kiryu breaking and entering? No, probably not. That was practically a crime everywhere but Satellite. And that might come at the risk of yet another Security marker and more time in prison. And he neverwanted to relive the experience he had in prison - even if it was on a shorter scale than the other one. Because it was there he descended into madness, and that was something that he regretted doing.

So instead, he walked around the area. He was still going to break into the school, but he was also trying to avoid getting caught. Which meant that he had to wait a bit before doing what he wanted to do. And while waiting at the school was definitely something he could do, actually, something he would like to do, he didn't want the guy recognizing him and then potentially messing everything up. Because risking people seeing his security marker was better than getting a plan messed up.

But he had to say that he was pretty sure that didn't matter. Security did a pretty good job with his marker, as much as he hated to admit. It went down the entirety of the left side of his face. So even though his bangs started growing to the point that they were actually able to be considered bangs (but still of a somewhat normal length), it'll still be noticed. And yet, no one - not even any of the other teachers - noticed the mark so far. Sure, it was small in width, but it was noticeable. And the lack of notice prompt him into thinking that they were deemed obsolete and unnecessary.

Though that didn't mean that Kiryu let his guard down. They could still know and maybe report him to the police. But at least he was able to leisurely stroll through the streets.

While they werebarren for the most part, it still felt pretty nice. A different bit of scenery from all that darkness he was used seeing. For the most part, it made him feel less lonely. It had also giving him a bit of hope.

-0-0-0-

The sun was down, and no one was active. It was perfect for Kiryu.

And it surprised him. He had expected the city to be a bit more active at night. Cautious. They had to be because of robberies and break outs, or just simply a Satellite resident attempting to move into the city. And while he hadn't seen much of the city, prison had told him that some at least stayed up. Doing terrible things, sure, but still up.

Yet, when he had managed to run into a more populated area, it stayed populated for a decent three hours. Then people moved away to other places, buildings closed for the day until eventually, he was the only one left in the streets. And luckily, his trench coat was the perfect color to blend into the night.

The walk to school was rather easy. No cars or D-Wheels in sight, meaning that he could simply walk on the roads of the streets without a fear of anything. And while death would've been something that he wanted, he was pretty sure, at this point, that he wasn't going to stay dead until he fulfilled his mission, which basically meant that he had to do this mission or else nothing would happen.

And sight wasn't much of a problem. His eyes had always adjusted to the darkness pretty easily, so it wasn't that hard for him to easily get to where the school was.

The problem was that it was locked. He expected much. And while he could probably bust the door down easily, he didn't want to create such a scene. So he opted for the nearest window instead, opened the latch and crawled inside.

He ended up in the place he was earlier. And while it was a bit harder to maneuver through that place, he managed to get to the door with only the occasional stumble on a chair or something like that.

Kiryu twisted the knob. It, to his surprised, opened, allowing him to step into the hallway and to look around for a staircase. From memory, the room was on the last floor, so he had to figure out a way to get there. And stairs were the only way. And despite being barely able to see anything (the light from the moon was unable to enter the corridor), he figured that he'd be able to find one before he got caught.

And it looked like he wouldn't. No one was in the school, so he was able to move around freely. Which prompt him into tripping on the stairs he needed, but at least he found them.

But the ascent was slower than he normally did. Sure, the added factor of not being able to see played a role, but also because his mind was running a million thoughts. He wasn't even sure if he could get the computer to open up whatever it was that the kid was using. And plus, there was also the fact that he didn't know what the kid was doing before he entered the room. He just seemed to be observing the kids as they got sucked in there, possibly going in there after the last one. And he had changed the program before Kiryu even had a chance to see it.

 _This is hopeless._

He took a step back. Kiryu knew of nothing about most technology and even if he had managed to learn computer stuff from Yuusei, it would be meaningless if he was unable to figure out what thing the kid was doing. In reality, coming here was pointless. It made no sense. And it would've just been better to sleep on his bench or watch the sea. He should've just tried to get that kid to cooperate with him tomorrow. And hopefully that would work. Which would've been a much better option – no risk of ruining a computer. So he didn't have to continue with this plan.

He took yet another step back before deciding to turn around to continue the rest of it, only to realize that the ground was even. He was pretty sure that he hadn't gone down an entire flight of stairs. He was at least on the second flight.

Turning around, he noticed the somewhat familiar greys and the _very_ familiar bars. It was where he spent his last minutes as a human who had a chance of actually being human and staying dead.

It was his cell in which he rotted, accompanied by something. Something which he was sure wasn't in his cell before.


	5. Chapter 5

The something Kiryu noticed was only recognizable by its glowing red eyes. It just blended in so well with its surroundings that there was no possible way for Kiryu to notice it. At least, not in his current condition.

He wasn't sure if it was the trauma associated with the cell (trauma that he was pretty sure he was _done_ with) or if it was that creature. It had to be one or the other though, because he was perfectly fine while walking up the stairs. So it definitely couldn't be some random scare he had happened to pick up from his experience in the school.

But still, it unnerved him. It just made Kiryu want to curl up into a ball and hope the guards wouldn't abuse him again. Because this was once again the cell in which prisoners ready for death were held. And he was afraid that the tormenting that the guards could give him would allow him yet another chance to make Yuusei's life Hell as opposed to simply passing on. Or make the both of them suffer because he didn't die the way he was supposed to die. And suffering was just something that he didn't want to welcome to his life.

And yet...the fear was something that managed to control him. He didn't blame himself, there were just so many things that could happen in that simple cell. Things he didn't want to experience. And plus, that thing. It seemed familiar, but then again…

Footsteps. From outside. Kiryu felt a jolt, powerful enough to get him to jump up a bit, yet his feet never left the ground. The person's, on the other hand, touched it continuously, making sounds without caring, and not bothering to check in on any of the cells.

But it was just a silhouette of a person. It didn't seem like a guard to Kiryu either. It had a cape, which was something he was pretty sure guards didn't wear.

And it didn't notice _anyone_. It just walked right past, not caring. No stares, no looks of disgust. Just straight forward walking. Was he blind? Or was Kiryu just unnoticeable from where he was?

He looked down to the ground. He wanted to curl up, but he couldn't. The ground somehow managed to rise up, doing so effortlessly and in away that Kiryu couldn't notice. Because he assumed that he would notice the ground rising up, but he didn't. And yet with it, he was rising up with it, getting closer and closer to the ceiling. Getting closer and closer...

 _I'm going to die in this cell._

There was no other way to explain it. The black mass was rising constantly, and it wasn't predicable. Sooner or later, he was going to hit the ceiling and either drown or get crushed. Nothing else could've happened.

 _That's_ why the guard didn't care, or at least Kiryu assumed so. He knew everyone was going to die a death they couldn't prevent. There was no way to escape it, nor stop it. The black mass just kept on going, and _nothing_ could stop it.

Kiryu braced himself and hoped that maybe, somehow, he could push himself into the black mass and die there. He didn't want any pain and dying in almost complete darkness would satisfy that want. It'll also be longer, allowing him to think for a bit before finally letting go of his life.

The one single good thing about being a Dark Signer was that he had already said his apologizes to Yuusei.

But as for the rest...he assumed he failed the mission and the person running it was just going to send him to Hell. And while that wasn't where he wanted to go there, it was death. The sweet death he had longed for awhile. Pain might have played a role, but he could handle if it was solely directed at him. Anyone else would and will be a problem.

So he braced himself for the ceiling, putting his two hands over his head so he could push himself down and drown in the darkness. But his hands didn't reach any flat surface and the growing pile of matter stopped.

He looked up, as looking down would serve him no good, and realized that he still had miles until he reached the ceiling.

A bit of red shone in the corner of his eye. He looked back down to see where he started at and he noticed the same creature he had seen earlier.

It didn't hurt him last time, so he assumed this time it wouldn't do anything. At least, so he thought before he was lightheaded and dizzy.

-0-0-0-

When Kiryu woke up, the first thing he noticed was his Duel Disk lying on the floor. At least, he assumed it was his. There was no one else in the area and it was directly in front of him. So he took it and strapped it onto his wrist. There were no cards anywhere on it, but that didn't matter. Surprisingly his cards had remained, and thus he put them into the slot for the deck. After that was taken care of, he pushed himself off the ground, looking towards what was in front of him.

Kiryu didn't know what he was looking at, never mind where he was. The town (though he wasn't sure he could definitely call it that) was essentially a mess, looking more like a collection of really old buildings than an actual place. Granted, he was only seeing it from the outside - it could look much better when he was actually in the place - but it still looked completely unorganized. Though, to be honest, it was a decent mess. The real mess was Satellite. And almost everything looked nicer than Satellite.

And despite learning that at the dead of the night no one lurked, he still wandered into the town. He didn't feel like staying outside, especially when he didn't know what could happen. Sure, he had his cards to protect him, but he wasn't sure of exactly how much that could do if he ran into an actual animal. They didn't know how to duel and the monsters were just holograms after all. There was no way they could actually harm a beast.

So he wandered through the down, examining the streets and looking for a place to stay. And while he was doing so, he got a bit reminiscent. The town was partly destroyed, kind of like Satellite, and he figured that maybe he could take refuge in one of those buildings. They were damaged to the point that he was pretty sure that no one was going to mind him staying in there. And besides, he was just going to rest there for the night and set out when he woke up. That shouldn't bother anyone, right?

He felt a tug on his jacket. Turning around, he noticed a humanoid form of a red frog at the edge of his trench coat. It smiled an odd smile that was one Kiryu would never expect for a person to make. It was far too curvy for that.

"You need a place to stay?" it asked. Kiryu nodded in response. If someone was going to willingly offer him a place to stay, well, he'd take it. He just hoped there happened to be no fee attached to it.

It walked in front of him, it looking very proud in what it was doing. Each step it took touched the floor hard - not in a slam, but not the silent footfalls Kiryu had mastered - giving him a confidence that Kiryu knew he couldn't emulate.

"You'll love it here! ShogunGekomon holds parties every night! And this one is no exception! Actually today, we're partying even harder than before!"

Party? "Thanks for the reassurance, but I'm not really one for parties." He actually never been to one, but he withheld the information. It didn't need to know that. And Kiryu also didn't need to know what one was like.

The frog thing stopped. It took all Kiryu had to not stumble on top of him.

"You don't like...parties?" it asked. His voice got lower and sounded more prone to crying, which was a stark contrast from what he was before. After all, it was practically booming. Here, however, it got lower and wavered.

"I just need a place to rest. That's really it."

"I think you and the Digimon Emperor could be friends," it said. Its voice got its confidence back, but it was still rather low and couldn't hold a candle to what it was like before.

But of course, what bothered Kiryu the most was the use of the term "Digimon." He had no clue what it was or what it meant, and the fact that this thing said it...it was probably something that he needed to know.

"Where can I find him?" And he was actually curious. Maybe it was that person who could actually tell him what was going on. Or at least it was a thing that knew a couple of things about this world.

"You actually want to meet him!" it asked. Kiryu nodded.

"You're not going to get any info here. We also might have to - Hey!"

Kiryu ignored him, walking forward. The person behind that name was probably something they didn't want to talk about. He didn't know why, but he just accepted it. And that meant that he couldn't really do much here other than rest.

"Thanks, but I'll get what I need on my own.


	6. Chapter 6

After taking one last look at the frog, Kiryu walked towards the end of the town. He wasn't going to get information here apparently, which meant that he was probably going to have to go somewhere else. Mainly because he was still interested in the Digimon Emperor. It could probably tell him what those terms he had heard meant. Because he was pretty sure that no one here would tell him this stuff as that frog mentioned not being able to get information here. Though it did say that after he mentioned being curious about the Digimon Emperor, so maybe it didn't apply to everything else?

The town was large enough for him to test that out with another creature that could be around here, so it wasn't like he had to go back and find that frog. And considering that the place reminded him of Satellite in terms of size and navigation, there was bound to be another lurking somewhere. Maybe said other couldn't give information about the Digimon Emperor as that frog seemed to be talking for the entire population, but it could probably give some basic information so that he didn't look like an idiot in front of the guy.

Not wanting to stay near where he had met the frog, just in case anything else heard the conversation, Kiryu made a series of turns through the buildings that all had the same traditional scheme in order to find one farther away from where he started. He ended up finding one with a roof just a little paler shade of green than the others that was also closer to the outside. Kiryu had no clue if it was closer to the outside where he came from or the other end, but he hoped it was the latter.

He reached for the door to knock when he remembered something. The frog had said something about a party. And if Kiryu recalled correctly, it mentioned them partying hard tonight. Wouldn't that mean that no one happened to be in the houses? While that would provide him with a house he could sleep in, it wouldn't exactly give him anything regarding information.

Unless one of them happened to come home earlier. And while that might be a bit weird - he assumed parties where something you stayed at for awhile - it was possible. And he had no clue how to explain to someone that he was just sleeping in their house. This, no matter how many parallels he saw, wasn't Satellite. People randomly slipping into your homes and disturbing them shouldn't be common in a place like this. It just shouldn't.

But still, it would be good at least try to find someone or take refuge in a possibly empty house. They would serve a purpose to him either way. Though finding someone would be a bit better. At least then he could ask questions and then get them answered. And that would make sure he at least knew _something_ before seeing this "Digimon Emperor."

He opened the door slowly - mainly because he assumed this one was empty, but just in case - and when no one responded to the creek, he slipped right in. The house was probably vacant, which meant that he found refuge, and not information.

When he entered the house, there was a faint light glowing. Either someone was there or they were forgetful and left the light on. Though just in case it was a person or a thing, Kiryu slowly made his way towards it. He was taking a risk, yes, but perhaps it'll be worth it at the end.

He exited the first room he walked into and entered a room where the light grew stronger. From what he could see, the inside matched the outside - it being a traditional home as opposed to a much more modern house.

But there was still absolutely no one in his line of sight. So was the house empty like he had thought, or…?

Probably not. He continued walking, finding himself the place where he saw the light.

It was just a hallway. Not a room for him to explore. But he questioned why would a light, of all things, be left on. He assumed because if they happened to come home late they didn't have to stumble in the darkness, but still, wouldn't it be easier to turn the lights on as you went? As opposed to wasting something that was harder to save? Or at least he thought.

But Kiryu slowly backed out of the hallway. There was nothing important there, and to be honest, he rather sleep without light. Plus, it would be easier to escape if he was closer to the exit. Sure, it might run the risk of detection, but still. He could easily walk out or run if he saw anything, while being in here he didn't have that level of foresight.

Putting one foot behind the other, Kiryu slowly backed out of the hallway. He wanted at least everything to look like it was when the owners left it - that way no one could accuse him of breaking and entering. And while there was much to misplace, he just did it out of habit. Whenever he had to steal something - whether it be for his own needs or something he knew Team Satisfaction needed, he always made sure that everything but the thing he needed looked like it had been before. So there was no need to really break out of the habit - doing so meant trouble.

But the only thing he presumed a problem was the door. He wanted to keep it open, even if only ajar, but wouldn't the person know that he had closed it? Sure, they didn't lock it, but they had shut the door behind them. Even if left open a tiny bit, they'll surely notice, right?

 _I should look for a window._

Those were his only options. Leaving the door open or escaping through a window. But he didn't know if there were any windows, let alone ones that he could open from the inside. So what was he even supposed to do?

Kiryu made his way back to the hallway. There was bound to be a window there, right? He looked - all of the walls being the plain cream color that the doors had. No sign of any window.

He sighed. He hadn't recalled finding any before - the room before the hallway didn't even have anything for one to consider it a room, and a window in the first room was out of the question. If he managed to get caught while trying to escape to where ever he needed to go, that might as well be trouble. And he didn't want another marker on his face - the first one was trouble enough.

Walking back to the initial room, he sat himself down on the floor. He couldn't see much, though his eyes adjusted to the darkness better than they had ever before (it must have been because of the Dark Signers) but then again, there wasn't much to be seen.

Though, he was bored. Despite coming here in order to rest, Kiryu didn't feel tired at all. His eyelids didn't droop down, nor did his head slowly go down, showing that he could barely support it. Nope, he was alert and perfectly fine.

He put his left arm in front of him. It was the arm with the duel disk, and dueling always comforted him, no matter what. And now he couldn't find a better way to spend the night but by examining his cards - something he had forgotten to do prior to this.

He drew the card that was on top of his deck. "Death Gunman," he said as he turned the card around. He didn't expect for it to be the very first card he drew - maybe that meant something or maybe it didn't. But it was there in his hand now, and there wasn't much more too it than that.

Putting the card on the slot, he drew another. Kiryu mainly did it because he didn't want to hold all forty cards of his deck in his hand, and he wasn't exactly sure if putting it on the floor was a great idea.

 _Crap_. There was another presence in the room, someone must've came home. Or maybe it was that initial frog. Maybe it came to pick up whoever was here because they weren't showing up. And maybe it was going to give him hell about breaking and entering.

Kiryu stood up. He had to leave, _now_. And while he was pretty sure he couldn't fend off any potential threat with just cards alone, he punched pretty well. That should be enough for him to get to safety.

He happened to run into a pair of eyes.

They were narrow, ones that Kiryu wouldn't peg on the frog he had met earlier. No, those eyes would be something his card would have…

His card...he looked up, greeted by the masked face of Infernity Death Gunman. It was here, right there in the room...and he was pretty sure it took up mass.

Kiryu stuck his hand out to touch the area where the eyes where. Unlike in a duel that used holograms, he felt it. He felt Death Gunman.

"You know we'll protect you until Hell."

His eyes immediately opened. Fuller than before. He was alert, something that he had almost let slip when he was able to feel his card.

They said until Hell. But...they were creatures that belonged in Hell. He was something that belonged in Hell. And yet, protect him until Hell?

"I didn't die," he said. It was a question, and yet it came out more of a phrase. A statement. One he wished was false. He experienced death before, and what had happened was exactly like death. And he deserved to go to Hell - there was none of this "wait list to go to Heaven" bull. That was not something that was possible by someone of his nature. Sure, he imposed the rule that he wouldn't hurt kids, but that didn't exempt anyone who wasn't a kid. He was ready to fight if he had to. And he didn't know what "had to" meant.

But if had died, he would've gone to Hell. And he made a promise with his new cards. They'll protect him until he went to Hell once again. And if they were still there and still protecting him, then he didn't end up in Hell.

He was alive, but not completely. After all, none of the Infernity monsters talked to him. And he never ran into any humanoid frogs in either Hell or the real world.

Then again, Demack was spouting nonsense about this "Spirit Realm" thing. He had ignored him in favor of planning out the million and one ways he could kill and make Yuusei's life worse (he couldn't decide if he wanted to kill the damn guy), but he did hear things about it. Duel Monster spirits roamed there in physical form. And they had their own voices and everything.

Was he in there? It would make sense, but still, he questioned it. He never had any ties with spirits, aside from his deck and Ccapac Apu, but those were only minimal. He assumed people, like Demack, had to have some kind of special connection to it in order to see it. And Kiryu was sure he didn't have that connection.

And yet, none of that explained why there was a "Digimon Emperor." Maybe that stood for something he didn't know - Demack was practically a madman and there were plenty of better things to do with his time than listen to such nonsense - but it still raised a couple of questions.

"I can't stand this place," Death Gunman said. Kiryu stared back up at it, getting rid of his thoughts. He had to focus on the present, not whatever speculation he was doing.

"There's someone I want to meet," Kiryu said as it was about to take its guns out of its belt. "We'll do that instead."

But he took the card out of the designated spot, leaving Death Gunman to disappear as fast as it came.


End file.
